25 Comforting Chili Recipes to Warm You Up this Winter

Chili is pure comfort in a bowl. When the weather gets chilly, there’s nothing we crave more than this soul-warming soup. This crave-worthy collection features our best chili recipes, from healthy turkey chili to vegetarian chili. Cook up a batch for an easy Sunday supper, casual holiday gatherings, or quick weeknight meal—and don't forget to make homemade corn muffins on the side.

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25 Comforting Chili Recipes to Warm You Up this Winter

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Cinnamon-Laced Chili

This take on Cincinnati chili forgoes the traditional spaghetti accompaniment, though you can serve it over hot cooked noodles if you like. While many cooks think of cinnamon only as a spice for baked goods and sweets, it’s fantastic in savory dishes—particularly roasted, braised, and stewed meats like beef, pork, and chicken.

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Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Chili

Quinoa is ideal in soups and stews because the grains don’t soak up too much liquid. Here it adds body and texture to a smoky vegetarian chili. Chipotle chiles are jalapeños that have been dried and smoked. Start with 1 minced chile in about a tablespoon of the surrounding adobo sauce, then add more according to your heat preference.

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Turkey Chili With Black Beans and Kale

Rev up your chili game with this hearty and healthy twist on the classic. Subbing ground turkey for the beef trims down the saturated fat, while black beans deliver gut-friendly fiber; kale comes in clutch with a healthy dose of vitamin C. If you can’t find ancho chili powder, feel free to substitute regular chili powder. Serve this chili with cornbread, on nachos, or use as a topping for baked sweet potatoes.

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Low-Carb Beanless Chili

Not a fan of beans? This is the chili for you. We packed this version full of flavorful veggies such as corn, bell peppers, and chiles, which fill in for the beans and add extra layers of flavor. It’s even tastier the next day, so this no-bean chili is perfect to make ahead. If you can’t get your hands on chipotles in adobo, hot sauce will work in a pinch.

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Quick Texas Chili

Instant umami boosters like Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste build savory depth in minutes. Flank steak cooks quickly yet has the beefiness of tougher cuts like brisket. Coating the meat in flour before searing allows for more browning and will help add body to the chili.

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Steak Fajita Chili

Make this staff-favorite one of your go-to dutch-oven dinners this fall. Tougher cuts of meat, like chuck-eye turn meltingly soft, root vegetables make the stew rich and hearty, and a dollop of greek yogurt adds just the right amount of tang, to cut through the rich sauce and brighten the meal.

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Healthy Homemade Chili

This easy chili is hearty, comforting, and wholesome—plus it's significantly lower in calories, fat, and sodium than classic recipes. Smoked paprika and a splash of beer kick up the flavor, and our clever trick for perfectly browned ground beef would surely make any grandmother proud.

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Quick Green Chicken Chili

The secret to a lightening-fast chili is to keep it simple, with starchy, creamy Great Northern beans as the main bean and canned green chiles (already broiled, skinned, and chopped) as your heat source. We blend half the beans to build body, leaving the rest whole for texture. Precooked rotisserie chicken also saves time, but you could use any leftover protein, such as chopped cooked pork tenderloin or cooked ground turkey. Top the chili with creamy sour cream and crunchy radishes, or try diced tomato, cilantro, or sliced jalapeños. Serve with multigrain tortilla chips.

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Instant Pot Chili With White Beans, Pork, and Green Chiles

This Southwestern-inspired chili is hearty and comforting, with pork in every bite. Your Instant Pot can easily cook up the unsoaked cannellini beans in about an hour, making this a weeknight-friendly meal the whole family will love. Creamy cheese and avocado make ideal toppings, while a squeeze of lime juice elevates this filling dish.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Posole

Think of posole as chili’s brothier, lighter cousin, a Mexican version of chicken soup. Posole is also another name for the hominy, or rehydrated dried corn, that goes in the dish. Starchy, slightly chewy hominy will hold up during the long simmer while the onion and poblano pepper release their flavor into the stock and become tender. Rather than add the tomatillo at the beginning, we stir it in just before serving for a bright, bracing contrast to the stew. Tomatillos have a firm texture similar to unripe or green tomatoes that is also welcome here. If you can’t find tortilla strips, you can use lightly crushed corn tortilla chips.

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Classic Beef and Two-Bean Chili

Need an adventurous upgrade from the classic chili powder–seasoned chili? Then look no further. This recipe combines a trio of dried chiles and achiote paste to create a rich broth that's loaded with authenticity and flavor. Half the beans get blended with the chile broth into a silky base that lays a flavor-packed foundation for this hearty chili. We call for chili-grind sirloin, which is a thicker, courser grind than traditional ground beef, and lends a meatier texture to this slow-simmered version. It's not always available in the case, but most butchers should be able to make the specialty grind. Fresh radishes add a bright, refreshing crunch that's virtually calorie-free.

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Colorado Green Chili

A panful of char-roasted fresh green peppers not only gives Colorado chili its distinctive green hue, but adds a deep, comfort-filled roasted flavor to the base of the stew. Cilantro stems often get tossed in the trash; instead, we stir them into the broth to get more bang for the food budget. Fresh tomatillos add a bright, tangy balance to the roasted peppers. Look for masa harina—the traditional corn-based thickener in this chili—in the supermarket's international aisle or at Latin markets. Serve with brown rice, and top with toasted pepitas if you need a little crunch.

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Pumpkin Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

The ultimate vegetarian chili powered by fall flavors. Sweet potato, black beans, and plenty of aromatics simmer in a velvety, pumpkin-infused tomato broth that is ultra rich and comforting. A pinch of cinnamon and dash of chipotle chili powder add a robust flavor profile that will warm you up from the inside out. Add any pumpkin-flavored beer you like. As far as toppings, the sky is the limit. We swoon over a hearty dollop of 2% Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, and green onion.

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Can't-Believe-It's-Veggie Chili

A good veggie chili is really all about the texture. Overcooked vegetables simply won't do. Here, we combine crisp peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and beans with nutty wheat berries—a hearty whole grain that adds a desirable chewiness to this plant-packed pot, and won't break down after a long, slow-simmer. Liquid aminos help boost umami, but you can sub low-sodium soy sauce instead. It's a "big hit with adults and kids" according to reviewer Alexa, just be sure to seed the jalapeño to tone down the heat for your little ones. Top with ripe avocado for a pop of bright flavor and creamy finish.

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Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati chili distinguishes itself from others with a bold mix of warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, and bittersweet chocolate. It's a thick, rich version of chili that's traditionally made to serve over hot dogs or spaghetti; instead, we flip the bowl and serve the chili under pan-crisped noodles to add texture and crunch. You'll save calories, carbs, and still get all the noodle-covered chili satisfaction of the traditional version—and still have plenty of room for cheese and a bright green salad. There's no added fat in the chili; we mix a little bit of ground chuck into lean ground sirloin to add extra richness.

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Smoky Beef and Poblano Chili

This version cuts calories, fat, and saturated fat from traditional chili recipes without eliminating any of your favorite flavors. Cook the beef in batches to ensure quick, even browning. No need to chop or blend the tomatoes; simply squeeze them right over the pan to gently break them apart. Topped with fresh avocado, cilantro and chiles, this is the perfect one-pot meal to feed a hungry crowd.

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White Chili With Avocado Cream

White chili with both pork and chicken? Yes, please! Ground pork is seasoned with warm spices while tender chicken breast packs a lean but mighty punch. But even with the double dose of meaty goodness, plant power remains strong here. Two beans (chickpeas and cannellini) thicken and enrich the base while char-roasted peppers and corn fill this pot to the brim. Plenty of garlic, fresh lime juice, and smoky chipotle peppers make this chili sing. Rich half-and-half adds creamy goodness while tangy, fresh tomatillos and silky avocado top with tasteful elegance. Chili doesn't get much heartier than this!

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Three-Bean Miso Chili

Craving an adventurous upgrade from the classic beef-and-tomato-based chili? Then look no further. This recipe combines three varieties of budget-friendly beans for textural contrast, along with a kitchen sink’s worth of aromatics. Miso is the ticket to achieving pronounced depth in this vegetarian soup, while peanut butter helps build body. Find white miso in the refrigerated section near the produce. To make this dairy-free, use coconut yogurt in place of Greek yogurt to amp up the creaminess. Bonus: One serving delivers half your daily fiber goal.

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Texas-Style Chili With Brisket

Texas chili is purely beef driven: no beans allowed. It's hearty, meaty, and rich—a stick-to-your-ribs type of chili that will warm you from the inside out. We call for flat cut brisket, which has had the fat cap removed and is a far leaner version than the "point" brisket cut. If you can't find a flat cut, buy the whole cut and be sure to trim the fat cap off. The slow simmer in our spice- and chile-packed broth will keep this lean cut tender and juicy. This version boasts smoky, complex, deep flavor from a mix of dried chiles and chili powders, while masa harina (a very finely ground corn flour) gives it extra body. Look for masa harina in the Latin foods section of the supermarket.

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Fast Chicken Chili with Butternut Squash

This cold-weather delight is hot and hot: both in spiciness and temperature. It’s sure to warm you up from the inside out and fill you up too, without weighing you down. Bottled marinara makes for a super simple base starter, but watch sodium levels, as store-bought versions can get very high. Look for varieties with less than 350mg per half cup: It's better to start low and adjust salt levels as you cook. We love the extra heat from the double dose of jalapeño peppers, but you can cut the amount in half or seed the peppers for less heat. Reviewer Vickierigsby said, "Wow we loved this recipe. We always eat it over sweet cornbread. Yum, leftovers make for great chili dogs."

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Turkey and Bean Chili

When you need a chili fix, and you need it fast, this recipe delivers. Twenty minutes are all you need for a piping hot pot of poultry, beans, and chili. We veer from the traditional beef and red bean formula and instead turn to ground turkey and white beans for a tasty variation. We call for ground turkey, not ultra-lean ground turkey breast, because the former stays more moist (you can also use ground sirloin if you prefer). One poblano pepper offers mild to medium heat, depending on the pepper; to ensure a mild version, sub in green bell pepper.

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Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili

This is a real crowd-pleaser and one that doesn’t necessarily scream “vegetarian,” so you can feel confident serving it to the meat eaters in your life. The combination of creamy pinto, nutty cannellini, and meaty red kidney beans gives the chili great texture, heft, and flavor, while butternut squash adds a hint of sweetness to offset the heat of crushed red pepper. If you’re sensitive to spice, start with one-fourth to one-half the amount of pepper; you can always add more, but you can’t take it away once it’s in there.